Both the Congress and the SAD gained in the race for one-upmanship on Thursday with rivals switching sides. While a senior Youth Congress leader Rajwinder Singh Lucky joined the Akali Dal, the three SAD councillors in Bathinda shifted loyalties towards the Congress.
Giving a major setback to the Congress in Doaba region, the party’s former Balachaur assembly constituency candidate Lucky joined SAD along with his entire team including Balachaur Youth Congress’ former president Ashok Chechi and former Block Samiti members Vijay Kumar and Virender Kataria in the presence of SAD president Sukhbir Badal.
Giving detailed account of his disenchantment with the Congress-led Punjab Government, Lucky said that it had betrayed the state’s youth and reneged on all promises made to them.
He said what to speak of Ghar Ghar Naukari, the Congress Government had failed to give any jobs to youth in the last two years. “Even the unemployment allowance promised to the youth had remained a pipe dream,” he added.
Welcoming Lucky into the SAD fold, Sukhbir said that the party has been strengthened with the induction of a veteran youth leader who has also served as president of the Panjab University Student Union (PUSU) besides serving as general secretary of the State Youth Congress.
Meanwhile, three out of the four councillors, who resigned from Akali Dal on Saturday, on Thursday joined Congress in the presence of Finance Minister Manpreet Badal who welcomed the SAD rebel leaders assuring that they would be given adequate respect in the Congress.
Four councillors including Master Harmander Singh, Rajinder Singh Sidhu, Nirmal Singh Sandhu and Baljeet Singh (Raju) had resigned from SAD on Saturday. While one of them Nirmal Singh took u-turn on Wednesday, three joined the Congress.